Washington and His Troops Have Harsh Winters At Morristown New Jersey [above: The Ford Mansion and a map of Morristown] George Washington's headquarterswhen he stayed in Morristown, New Jersey was originally the Ford Mansion. The Ford Mansion was built in 1772-1774 for Jacob Ford Jr. The Fords were one of the wealthiest families in Morristown. Jacob Ford was a good friend of Washington. After he passed away in 1777, Jacob's wife, Theodosia, welcomed George Washington and his staff. Theodosia, her four children, and servants all made room for Washington so he could have a place to stay after the Battle of Princeton.This house is preserved and now owned by Washington Association of New Jersey. [above: The Wick House] This is theWick farm house. It was built around 1747 by Henry Wick.The Wick family, who had moved there from Long Island now lived there in The Wick House, but welcomely housed George Washington's troops here when they needed shelter. It mainly served for officers including Major Joseph Bloomfield and General Arthur St Clair. The Wick farm and a few farms nearby had housed around 13,000 soldiers all together throughout the course of 2 years.Over the years, this one story house has crumbled a bit. Around 1848 the chimney was replaced. Around 1934 it was restored to its original condition. You can now tour the Wick House along with The Ford Mansion when you go to Morristown National Historical Park. [above: The inside and outside of the cabins the soldiers slept in.] The soldiers had come to Jockey Hollow to stay for shelter while they were in Morristown. He decided to choose this location because of its water supplies and ample firewood. Jockey Hollow is about nine acres. The Wick Farm House is located on this property. They had originally had to sleep on the ground, but Washington had huts that were 14 feet by 16 feet and housed twelve men built. While the huts were being built, the soldiers had to sleep in tents. However, the weather was not in their favor. It was cold, snowy and windy while they were in Morristown. The town of Morristown has made many names for itself, one in which including The Revolutionary War capital. The first settlers in Morristown came for sources of iron ore. This is one reason Washington was attracted to stay there during the war. However, after the Revolutionary war, the iron finally gave out and Morristown struggled for awhile. When Washington's troops stayed in Morristown, it was possibly one of the worst winter of the 1700's. The economy was not good due to the current war going on. This resulted in the soldiers having torn clothes because of the rough weather and no money for new clothes. They were also starving from the lack of food. The troops also survived a small pox epidemic during the stay. It was a tough two winters when they stayed here, but in the long run we came through and won the war.
[The video above is of a mansightseeingMorristown. In one clip, he visits The Ford Mansion.] QUESTIONS: 1. What was it like for George Washington and his troops staying in Morristown for the winter? 2. Why was the Wick family important to the revolution? 3. What are some problems the troops faced?
[above: The Ford Mansion and a map of Morristown]
George Washington's headquarters when he stayed in Morristown, New Jersey was originally the Ford Mansion. The Ford Mansion was built in 1772-1774 for Jacob Ford Jr. The Fords were one of the wealthiest families in Morristown. Jacob Ford was a good friend of Washington. After he passed away in 1777, Jacob's wife, Theodosia, welcomed George Washington and his staff. Theodosia, her four children, and servants all made room for Washington so he could have a place to stay after the Battle of Princeton. This house is preserved and now owned by Washington Association of New Jersey.
This is the Wick farm house. It was built around 1747 by Henry Wick. The Wick family, who had moved there from Long Island now lived there in The Wick House, but welcomely housed George Washington's troops here when they needed shelter. It mainly served for officers including Major Joseph Bloomfield and General Arthur St Clair. The Wick farm and a few farms nearby had housed around 13,000 soldiers all together throughout the course of 2 years. Over the years, this one story house has crumbled a bit. Around 1848 the chimney was replaced. Around 1934 it was restored to its original condition. You can now tour the Wick House along with The Ford Mansion when you go to Morristown National Historical Park.
[above: The inside and outside of the cabins the soldiers slept in.]
The soldiers had come to Jockey Hollow to stay for shelter while they were in Morristown. He decided to choose this location because of its water supplies and ample firewood. Jockey Hollow is about nine acres. The Wick Farm House is located on this property. They had originally had to sleep on the ground, but Washington had huts that were 14 feet by 16 feet and housed twelve men built. While the huts were being built, the soldiers had to sleep in tents. However, the weather was not in their favor. It was cold, snowy and windy while they were in Morristown.
The town of Morristown has made many names for itself, one in which including The Revolutionary War capital. The first settlers in Morristown came for sources of iron ore. This is one reason Washington was attracted to stay there during the war. However, after the Revolutionary war, the iron finally gave out and Morristown struggled for awhile. When Washington's troops stayed in Morristown, it was possibly one of the worst winter of the 1700's. The economy was not good due to the current war going on. This resulted in the soldiers having torn clothes because of the rough weather and no money for new clothes. They were also starving from the lack of food. The troops also survived a small pox epidemic during the stay. It was a tough two winters when they stayed here, but in the long run we came through and won the war.
[The video above is of a man sight seeing Morristown. In one clip, he visits The Ford Mansion.]
QUESTIONS:
1. What was it like for George Washington and his troops staying in Morristown for the winter?
2. Why was the Wick family important to the revolution?
3. What are some problems the troops faced?